ERODE: Demanding Deepavali bonus payout, contract workers working on a daily wage basis at the Erode government hospital boycotted work and went on a strike on Sunday. However, they returned to work within hours after talks with officials.
According to sources, around 125 sanitary workers and security staff are employed at the Erode government hospital on a daily wage basis under a private contractor. On Sunday, they boycotted work and protested in the hospital premises demanding Deepavali bonus.
On information, police and officials of a related private company, led by Erode town DSP M Muthukumaran, reached the spot and held talks with the protesters.
During the talks, the officials assured to discuss the matter on October 23 and take appropriate action. Subsequently, they withdrew the protest within a few hours.
S Chinnasamy, state general secretary of AITUC, who led the protest, said, “We have been insisting for over a month that all contract workers be given a bonus to celebrate Deepavali. The private contractor is paying them only a daily wage of Rs 661, instead of Rs 761. In this situation, we requested the private company to pay them one month's salary as bonus based on the current daily wage. As the firm did not take any steps, the strike was carried out on Sunday.”
“However, after assurances by the officials, the protest, which began at 7 am, ended in four hours,” he added.
The hospital administration stated that the routine work at the hospital was not affected by the strike.